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Education
Computer Science at Lakehead University
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Previously covered: Brock, Carleton, Guelph, Lakehead, Ryerson, Toronto
Lakehead University is located in Thunder Bay, Ontario. It is the only University in north-western Ontario, which is quite far from the highly concentrated south Ontario. This small, 7600 student, suburban University comes with a Department of Computer Science, offering a Bachelor of Science — Honours or General, with co-op options available.
Completing a degree in Computer Science at Lakehead provides you with access to some of the latest high technology available in Canada today. You may choose from three program streams: Business, Science, or Hardware. Each option shares a core base of computer science courses, with additional courses allowing you to gain more detailed understanding in an area related to computer science.
One of the three options is required, though they all come with about the same set of core courses. Having to take an option is more restrictive in terms of electives, but the trade-off is that studying is somewhat more focused. Still, the program should be considered with a specific option in mind, not just the CS part of it. Be sure to choose well.
The course sequence starts out with the very basics of interacting with computers, and simple C programs, with emphasis on programming style and documentation. An easy start, but the work load quickly picks up afterwards.
More C programming covers data structures of linked lists, trees, graphs; as well as algorithms behind sorting and searching. Object oriented programming is covered with a higher-end language like C++, Java, or Smalltalk. Then it gets interesting with Operating Systems, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Graphics, and Programming Language Design. It all ends with an Advanced Project course, where students, as a team, design and implement a significant software system.
Getting into Computer Science at Lakehead University requires English, Advanced Functions, and one more Math or CS course. There is no program specific admission average (unless too many students apply), but a minimum of 70% overall final average is still needed for the general admission requirement.
Lakehead is a small University, but that could work to its advantage. Smaller class sizes, better interaction with professors, etc. LU has seen a lot of growth in the past few years, and I’ve seen them pull off some really fun campaigns, such as the infamous YaleShmale stunt — something that other Universities are unlikely to do. Since the University is as much about the experience of being there, as it is about the technical computer science content, this is also something to consider.
Though there is no wireless internet on campus… for now.
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I give that review of Lakehead a 10/10. It sumerises what the CS program is like there very well and gives you an idea of what the university is like.
I deftly recommend Lakehead to those that like to live and learn in a small school and city evneroment. We have an amazing student union too witch makes the small comity even better, tho being so small it can cause problems when it comes picking corses as they only are offered once a year and probly not in the summer and jobs for co-op will likey not be in the thunder bay area (but Lakehead students still get co-op placements at places like IBM and RIM, it just means traveling more after each term).
As tony hinted at, at the end of the review, the admistation of Lakehead can be rather odd at times and has declared a WiFi ban witch is some what of a joke. The student ran restront/bar has WiFi and is in the center of campus but has been forced to put up warning signs informing people that they are entering a “WiFi Zone”. Also lakehead being the only real uni in north west Ontario means that we get a tone of funding from varios levels of goverment witch to some level the administration has been unfocused on what to spend it all on. Right now they wont to build a law school in adtion to the medical school they just set up.
The city of thunder bay is some what iscoalted from the rest of the world so it can be shocking at times for new students that are used to big city life or being able to quickly go out of town. Not counting small little northern communitys dispersed around thunder bay area there is nothing for about 1000km by car to any side of thunder bay, the closet canadian cites being Sault Ste Marie (707km) and Winnipeg(704km).
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The “YaleShmale” campaign is the one reason I will never attend, or recommend that university to anyone.
The whole “Mock G. Bush” thing is stupid, as though the university really thinks highly of itself, when how many nobel laureates are there from Yale?
At least a hundred if not more, Lakehead? Take a guess.
Bush twice became the highest official of the most wealthy and powerful nation in the world, and yet they flaunt on as though they are more intelligent, I suppose if Bush really was smart, he would be in some mid-class teaching job in Ontario huh?
Other than that eyesore, good summary. Aside from that I can say that Lakehead has improved since I first heard of it, back when it was called the “College University”.
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The point was that some laureates go to Yale, but if you go to Yale, you are not necessary a laureate just for that. There are people of distinction coming out of non Ivy Universities as well. Bush might have been in power, but his term has ruined America, started an unnecessary war with no exit strategy, dropped the worth of nation’s currency by 30%, and increased nation’s debt by 60% (and if one thinks that low-worth currency is great for paying off debt, then they need to recall the state of Germany between world wars 1 and 2).
But this rant has little to do with Computer Science.
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I’d argue more on the political side, if this forum/blog was for that, since it’s not…
I’ll leave it till the day we meet(If I win in the CCC maybe).
Oh, and the laureate part? I know lots of them don’t go to Yale, but debasing a school off an overused false accusation against Bush is overdone, and I’m frankly sick of it. If that’s all you see in Bush’s term, you should read more.
Anyway… back to topic from now on.
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Hi,
It’s been a while since my last comment here. Hell of a nice view really. I bet it really improves performance. Mind you Gates used to take 2 weeks off for him self on a quite lake just to read. The computers by the window just reminded me of it.
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From the pictures I’ve seen, Lakehead has to be one of the most beautiful campuses in Canada.
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